1898 Moscow Russian Parcel Gilt Silver Snuff Box with Inscription to English Instrument Maker Thomas Butter

$325.00
An evocatively worn Russian parcel gilt silver snuff box, hallmarked Moscow, 1898. The exterior, once finely engraved with architectural scenes, now bears the softened traces of age and use, the chased detail nearly effaced by a century’s handling. Even the corners show small perforations from wear — evidence of long service rather than neglect. Open the hinged lid, however, and the reward is immediate: a beautifully preserved gilt interior bearing a Latin presentation inscription, Donum Amici Thos. Butter — “a gift from a friend to Thomas Butter,” the English instrument maker. The juxtaposition between the austere, time-worn exterior and the luminous interior lends the box an almost poetic quality — a relic of friendship, artistry, and Moscow’s fin-de-siècle silversmithing. Weighing 73 grams and measuring approximately 0.5" x 1.75" x 3", this snuff box retains a quiet elegance and historic depth rare among surviving examples. A piece that whispers of both Russian craftsmanship and English connection at the turn of the 20th century. Please see other silver jewelry here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DCSILVERSHOP?ref=shop_sugg§ion_id=16957559 Or just browse around the shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/DCSILVERSHOP?ref=shop_sugg
An evocatively worn Russian parcel gilt silver snuff box, hallmarked Moscow, 1898. The exterior, once finely engraved with architectural scenes, now bears the softened traces of age and use, the chased detail nearly effaced by a century’s handling. Even the corners show small perforations from wear — evidence of long service rather than neglect. Open the hinged lid, however, and the reward is immediate: a beautifully preserved gilt interior bearing a Latin presentation inscription, Donum Amici Thos. Butter — “a gift from a friend to Thomas Butter,” the English instrument maker. The juxtaposition between the austere, time-worn exterior and the luminous interior lends the box an almost poetic quality — a relic of friendship, artistry, and Moscow’s fin-de-siècle silversmithing. Weighing 73 grams and measuring approximately 0.5" x 1.75" x 3", this snuff box retains a quiet elegance and historic depth rare among surviving examples. A piece that whispers of both Russian craftsmanship and English connection at the turn of the 20th century. Please see other silver jewelry here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DCSILVERSHOP?ref=shop_sugg§ion_id=16957559 Or just browse around the shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/DCSILVERSHOP?ref=shop_sugg